Lectures Program Highlights

Many prominent speakers have appeared at Iowa State University over the past several decades. Here's a look at some of our most notable guests.

 

1960-61 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

1967-68

William O. Douglas

 

1968-69

Norman Mailer

Andy Warhol

 

1969-70

Bruno Bettelheim

Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.

Arthur Miller

Gary Snyder

 

1972-73

Michael Harrington

Groucho Marx

Ralph Nader

Tom Wolfe

William Kuntsler

Maya Angelou

Margaret Mead

 

1975-76

George Plimpton

Germaine Greer

Dick Gregory

 

1976-77

Julian Bond

Buckminster Fully

 

1977-78

Caitlyn Jenner

John Kenneth Galbraith

Judith Christ

I.F Stone

Noam Chomsky

 

1978-79

Daniel Berrigan

Lester Thurow

Coretta Scott King

Ann Beatty

 

1979-80

Jane Fonda

James Doohan

Denise Levertov

Mark Russell

 

1985-86

Maya Angelou

Paul Ehrlich

Yakov Smirnoff

 

1986-87

Edward Albee

 

1988-89

Cesar Chavez

 

1990-91

Angela Davis

Andrei Codrescu

 

1991-92

Brett Butler

Judy Chicago

Robert Bartley

Frances Fukuyama

1993-94

Cornel West 

Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee

Margaret Cho

Terry Anderson

Mae Jemison

Randall Robinson

 

1994-95

Bertice Berry

Jeff Cohen

Mike Utley

Mike Farrel

Susan Faludi

Ralph Nader

 

1995-96

Wilma Mankiller

Bernice Johnson Reagan

Michael Moore

Henry Rollins

Joycelyn Elders

 

1996-97

E.O. Wilson

Freeman Dyson

Carl Djerassi

Angela Davis Edward James Olmos

Elaine Brown

 

1997-98

Stephen J. Gould

Anita Hill

Harry Wu

Jane Elliott

Harry Shearer

 

1998-99

Bill Cosby

Sally Ride

Elizabeth Dole

Nadine Strossen

Gloria Steinem

Ana Gasteyer

 

1990-00

Golzalo Escudero

Nikki Giovanni

Robin Roberts

Dick Gregory

Paula Poundstone

 

2000-01

Dr. Drew

Carole Simpson

Barry Commoner

Betty DeGeneres

David Sedaris

 

2001-02

Howard Zinn

Chuck D

Lech Walesa

Brett Butler

Bobby Seale

 

2002-03

Norman Borlaug

Jane Smiley

Christine Todd Whitman

Lewis Black

Molly Ivins

2003-04

Annie Proulx

Howard Dean

John Kerry

John Edwards 

 

2004-05

Michael Pollen

Michael Ian Black

Michael Moore

Ann Coulter

 

2005-06

Barry Sheck

Angela Davis

Paul Rusesabagina

Noam Chomsky

 

2006-07

Helen Thomas

Wendell Berry

Hardball (live), Chris Matthews and guest Senator John McCain

Terry Gross

 

2007-08

James J. Heckman

Barack Obama

Hilary Clinton

Madeleine Albright

John Edwards

Rudy Giuliani

Ron Paul

John Oliver

 

2008-09

James Orbinski

Adrienne Rich

 

2009-10

Wendy Chamberlin

Mitt Romney

Fred Haise

Petere Hedges

Yvon Chouinard

 

2010-11

Gwen Ifill

Salva Kiir Mayardit

Bill McKibben

Amy Sedaris

 

2011-12

Dr. Paul Farmer

Max Brooks

Clarence Page

 

2012-13

Christine Romans

Bill Nye the Science Guy

Erksine Bowles

Michael Eric Dyson

W. Kamau Bell

 

2013-14

Bill Bryson

Judy Smith

Melissa Harris-Perry

Paul Collier

2014-15

Michio Kaku

Richard Dawkins

Wesley Clark

Michelle Alexander

 

2015-16

Mary Robinson

Nick Kristof

Frank Abagnale

Perry Chen

Jad Abumrad

Wes Moore

 

2016-17

Cheryl Strayed

Margared Atwood

Gloria Steinem

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Leslie Odom, Jr

Jim Yong Kim

Steve Forbes

 

2017-18

Ali Velshi

Bryan Stevenson

Roxane Gay

Tarana Burke

 

2018-19

Elizabeth Smart

Ruth Carter

Scott Kelly

Temple Grandin

Vicente Fox

 

2019-2020

S.E. Cupp

Ibram X. Kendi

 

2020-2021

Robert Bullard

Stephanie Kelton

Edward Snowden

 

2021-2022

Col. Eileen Collins

Dion Flynn

Avi Loeb

Susana Martinez

Yusef Salaam

Ben Shapiro
 

2022-2023

Alvin Roth

Matt Nelson

Nikole Hannah-Jones

Bree Newsome

Temple Grandin

Lawrence Ross

Amitav Ghosh

Allyson Felix

 

2023-2024

Sherrilyn Ifill

Christine Ervin

Dr. Greg Forbes

John Kasich

John Pavlovitz

Dr. Steven Pinker

Mike Gillis

Ben Jealous

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